TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed the arrival of a delegation from the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, which is in Taiwan for a six-day trip from March 19-24.

Delegation members include group chairman Bob Stewart, Deputy Chairman Rob Butler, Sarah Atherton, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan, Marie Rimmer, and other lawmakers and parliamentary staff, according to a MOFA press release. This is the second visit by a U.K. parliamentary delegation since a group from the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee visited Taiwan in November 2022, MOFA said.

During their stay, the delegation will meet President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄). They will also attend two banquets, one hosted by Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and the other by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).

The delegation will visit the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council, and other ministries, hold discussions with the Legislative Yuan’s Taiwan-U.K. Parliamentary Friendship Association, and visit cultural and economic institutions in the nation. Additionally, the lawmakers will exchange views with other Taiwan government departments and experts on issues such as Taiwan-U.K. relations, developments in the region, and economic resilience, MOFA said.

This is Stewart's second visit to Taiwan. As British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group chairman, he co-sponsored a proposal to hold a debate in the House of Commons about U.K.-Taiwan friendship and cooperation last February, MOFA said. He also sent letters to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan-U.K. relations.

He also sent a letter to all members of the U.K. parliament, detailing the current situation of U.K.-Taiwan relations and China's military threat towards Taiwan. He called on lawmakers to firmly support Taiwan and deepen the friendship with Taiwan, MOFA said.

Taiwan and the U.K. are solid partners who share the values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights and have a close and friendly relationship, the ministry added.

At a time when authoritarianism continues to expand globally, the U.K. government and parliament continue to pay more attention to security in the Taiwan Strait, support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, and deepen bilateral relations, the foreign ministry said.

As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded partners such as the U.K. to strengthen the resilience of the global democratic community, support the development of democracy, and promote cooperation and exchanges in multiple fields, in order to jointly maintain peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region.